


Only The Chosen Can Wield

by SundancerForLife



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: And my feelings were in OVERDRIVE, Avengers Family, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Endgame hurt my feelings, Everyone Is Alive, Except that bitch Thanos, FUCK endgame, Fix-It, Fuck that soggy raisin, I had to do it, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), SO, Tony lives, WTF, Watched FFH, no ffh spoilers, no one dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:01:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SundancerForLife/pseuds/SundancerForLife
Summary: Honestly, just my Endgame fix-it. I watched Far From Home (no spoilers in here-promise) and I had so many feelings so I had to help my heart out a little and prolong my denial.Also, Endgame was so good! I loved the part at the end where Tony saved the day and his family got to hug him and he went fucking home and hugged his babygirl and Happy came over and Rhodes stayed too and Peter was there of course and they ate cheeseburgers and cuddled and everyone was happy and alive.Tony doesn't die (*slams fist on table*) NOT ON MY WATCH, not. on. my. watch.





	Only The Chosen Can Wield

Tony Stark was dying.

He could feel it, deep inside his bones, down to his very core. He’d managed to elude the Reaper for so long and he knew, eventually, it would catch up to him.

As soon as the gauntlet formed around his hands he’d sealed his fate. His only regret was that the people he loved most in the world, in the _universe_ , had to watch it.

He could see Rhodey, far enough away that he couldn’t hear the man but could see the way he had begun to shake.

He could see Pepper, hand over her mouth in disbelief. She was close enough that he could see her wild hair, blowing in the soft breeze of battle. _She never should have been here_.

And, of course, too close for comfort, he could see Peter. Peter, who was the reason Tony had even started this doomed journey in the first place. Peter, who was bright beyond his years and had a heart of gold, pure and kind and _good_. He could see the terror in his widened eyes, the tremble in his body.

Tony couldn’t dwell on them, his body seizing as the power of the stones began seeping into his veins, filling them with lightning and fire and ice all at the same time. It was as if time had stopped completely, set in a single frame of pain, agony, _torture_.

Then it was gone.

Tony blinked, and he wasn’t on the battlefield anymore. He couldn’t see Rhodey, or Pepper, or Peter or Thanos. His heart dropped. Had he done something wrong? Had he failed again? Died before he could do one last redeeming thing, saving his family and friends and the whole Goddamn universe?

“Ahem.” Tony startled, then whirred around. He gasped, and blinked again.

“Nope. No time for hallucinations. I have to get back. I have to fix everything-“ Natasha cut him off.

“Tony,” She raised a hand to silence him. Tony just stared. “I’m not a hallucination. I’m here. My soul at least.”

“Wasn’t aware you had one of those.” He said, and Nat just smiled at him.

“Neither did I. But then again, we’re used to surprises aren’t we?” Tony shook his head.

“Speak for yourself. I’m one surprise away from a heart attack.” He looked around. “Where are we? I have to get back Nat-“

“Don’t worry, time works different here. Every second here is a millionth of a second where they are.” She said, then her eyes softened. “Did you ever wonder why none of the original Avengers got dusted?”

“Dumb luck?” He asked. In reality, he hadn’t. He was so consumed in Peter being gone, and Pepper and Rhodey being there that everything else faded away into the background.

“The stones, Tony.” She said, voice light. “When Thanos snapped, the stones did what he wanted them to. But they knew it wasn’t right, wasn’t natural. So they slipped in a failsafe.”

“Us? You’re telling me, of all the people in the entire universe, entire _multi_ verse, these ancient stones chose a ragtag team of humans as a fallback plan?” Nat shrugged.

“We may just be humans, but I honestly think out of every person, alien or other, we were the most stubborn and spiteful.” Nat replied. “But they also chose you.”

“Come again?” Tony asked. He was beginning to develop a headache from all the unknown variables.

“When Strange saw thae one timeline that ended with us winning, the Time Stone showed you. Not Danvors, not Bruce, not Wanda. You.”

“Nat, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does to someone who knows you. _Really_ knows you.” She said. “When I did my first evaluation of you, I wasn’t exactly betting money on you. But when push came to shove, you were there. When Wanda showed that nightmare to you? You wanted to put a shield around the entire _world_. When that didn’t work, you stepped up in Sokovia. After that, you stepped up to the Accords. And despite everything Steve did to you, you forgave him. Because when push comes to shove, Tony Stark shoves back the hardest.”

“Nat-“ Tony cut himself off. “I still don’t understand what this means.”

“It means that Thanos chose the stones, but they didn’t choose him. They chose _you_.” She grabbed his hand. “You can wield the stones, Tony. You can reverse it all. You can _fix_ this.”

“Can I bring you back? Or is there a set of rules I have to abide by.” Nat smiled and shook her head.

“Even if there were, Tony Stark makes his own rules.” Tony smiled.

“So, I just think about what I want the stones to do, snap and everything gets set straight?” Nat shrugged.

“That sounds about right.” She squeezed his hand. “I believe in you Stark. More than anything.”

Tony felt his eyes prickle, shocked. They had chosen him? Tony Stark with the wicked past and formidable future? It didn’t matter, he decided as he shook his head. He mat Nat’s eyes, softer than he’d ever seen them.

“Do you want to come back?” She seemed surprised that he’d asked.

“Well, being dead kind of sucks. And I must be in Hell, because I somehow managed to fins Loki in the afterlife.”

“Loki, huh?” Tony scrunched his face up. He nodded. “Okay, enough sidetracking. How do I get back?”

“You’re already there.”

And sure enough, Tony was one his knees with the gauntlet wrapped around his wrist. It didn’t burn anymore, he noticed. He didn’t feel pain- he felt _power_. He stood, planting his feet in the ground and looking up at Thanos. The Titan looked surprised, but sneered nonetheless.

“I am inevitable.” The purple giant said, and Tony gritted his teeth.

“And I…am…. _pissed_.” He seethed, than with all his might, he snapped.

At first nothing happened. Thanos’ confidence bled back into his gaze.

“Guess you weren’t as worthy as you-“ He was cutoff by a yelp. He turned, as did Tony. Sure enough, Thanos’ army was fading to dust, blowing away in the soft wind. Tony gave a sigh of relief. Finally, _finally_ , they’d reached the end. Thanos looked back at Tony. “How…?”

“Apparently the stones only like dickheads that are trying to _save_ the universe.” Tony replied. Thanos didn’t get a chance to reply as his body disintegrated, joining his army. Tony looked at the gauntlet. “What do you want to do now?”

He asked it as a rhetorical question. He got an answer anyway.

_Send us back to our rightful places in space and time_ , a whisper in his voice said. He nodded once, then snapped again. When he blinked the stones were gone. He ripped the gauntlet off, tossing it to the side. He barely had time to turn, find the people he needed to see and make sure they were okay, before he had an armful of Peter.

“Mr. Stark!” He said, tears streaming down his face. Tony smiled and pulled the boy in close, resting his cheek on the soft brown curls.

“Hey Pete, you did good out there.” He said, pressing a kiss against his brow and pulling back. “I see you got adopted again out there. Several times.”

“Captain Marvel and Mrs. Potts and the green lady- they were all so cool! Mr. Stark, I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared me.” Peter had his wide brown eyes trained on Tony’s face. He smiled in reply.

“Takes a lot more than a big purple raisin to take me out, Kid. I’m too spiteful to die just yet.”

“Tony!”

“Tones!”

Pepper and Rhodey ran up to him and both engulfed him in a bone crushing hug. Poor Peter was caught in the middle of it, but the boy didn’t seem to mind. _He’s a puppy, of course he likes being in the middle of all this cuddling_.

“Tony, you scared the shit out of me-“

“You are not allowed to do that ever again-“

“I’ll kill you myself, you big self-sacrificial idiot-“

“I love you-“

“Natasha?” Everyone froze, turning around. Sure as shit and right as rain, there stood the Black Widow herself. And beside her-

“Loki?” Thor bellowed, before crashing into his brother. Loki, surprisingly, clung to the God as well.

“You died-“ Steve had joined them, Clint behind him. The archer’s eyes widened, then he was wrapping himself around Nat.

“Yeah, well, I’m a little too stubborn to die I guess.” She looked at Tony and winked. “I also have some pretty good friends with attachment issues.”

“Sorry. Once you’re in the pool you aren’t allowed to leave.” Tony, smiling at her.

He couldn’t believe the relief he was feeling. It consumed him, burned bright in his chest as he looked around at his friends, his _family_. For the first time ever, Tony finally felt what he’d been chasing his entire life.

Love.

Home.

_Family_.

And not a single force in the universe could take it away from him


End file.
